There might be a stigma attached to pole dancing, but it helped Eda Marbury, of St. Louis, lose 65 pounds recently. She plans to lose more, too!

When she was younger, Eda struggled with anorexia for eight years. She would rarely eat and consumed numerous energy drinks that were high in caffeine, a natural appetite suppressant. Eventually, she only weighed 135 pounds.

During this period, Eda met her husband, Terrik. He helped her overcome her eating disorder. Unfortunately, she traded one problem for another. Able to eat again, she started binging on food.

Her weight started to balloon.

After years filled with junk food and absent of exercise, Eda tipped the scales at 330 pounds. Terrik reassured her that she was beautiful, but she was having image issues again. She went around a year without looking in the mirror.

“I was in denial about how much weight I had put on and how I looked,” she told the Mirror.

Eda knew she needed a change, but she wasn’t sure where to start. There are numerous gyms in the St. Louis, but she didn’t want to deal with strange equipment she had never used. She wasn’t thrilled about testosterone-fueled weight lifters either.

Pink Lemon Studio was her answer.

The local studio is women only and teaches classes in pole dancing. It was challenging at first. The studio is filled with mirrors, and Eda is afraid of heights. Initially, she was scared to even take her feet off the ground.

“It took me a year and three months to climb the pole because I’m afraid of heights,” she said.

Despite her fear of heights, Eda was hooked on the classes. Now she can climb to the top of the 11-foot pole and twirl with incredible grace. She even had a pole installed at home to practice whenever she pleases.

As Eda has progressed as a pole dancer, her weight has been steadily decreasing. She’s lost 65 pounds and hopes to lose 35 more. The long-term goal is to weigh less than 200 pounds.

It has been good for her self-esteem and confidence, too.

“I felt more confident, and I have friends. The way I dressed changed, I started to care a little bit more about what I was wearing and how I would do my hair,” Eda said. “Before I started pole dancing I wouldn’t wear make-up, I didn’t like to take the time to look after myself.”

Terrik has noticed a change, too.

“It makes her feel sexy, it makes her feel happy and that’s what I like about it,” he said.

Eda started a Facebook page, Eda Marbury’s Climb to the Top, to document her progress. After a video of a pole dancing routine went viral, she was inundated with positive messages. Now, thousands of people follow the page and her journey. She’s taken the positivity to heart.

“I’ve come so far in the past two years. I feel way more confident, way more sexy, way more beautiful,” she said. “I feel like I’m worth it. I never thought I would be capable of the things I have achieved.”